The Reload
Online/Digital
The Reload is an independent, subscriber-supported publication founded by award-winning journalist Stephen Gutowski. It is dedicated to accurately reporting the details and nuances of big gun stories. It sheds light on under-reported aspects of gun ownership in America. It informs instead of misleads or enrages.
It focuses on sober, serious reporting on–as well as analysis of–firearms policy and politics to accomplish those goals. No hot takes. No screaming. No manipulating. Just reporting.
The Reload aims to be the best place to find fair and discerning reporting on firearms and how they intersect with politics. By applying rigorous journalistic standards and speaking to both experts and advocates from all sides of the gun debate, we hope to produce accurate and compelling reporting. We are credentialed by the House of Representatives Press Gallery and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
In order to remain independent, The Reload will not take any kind of payment from anyone looking for favorable coverage or who seeks to otherwise manipulate our reporting. No secret deals for positive stories. No shady arrangements. We will strive to avoid even the appearance of impropriety at all times.
Most of our coverage is and will always remain free in order to fulfill our mission of better informing the public about firearms, how they work, who owns them, and why. But keeping an independent publication afloat does cost a lot of money. The Reload relies on its paid members to make the in-depth coverage and on-the-ground reporting we provide possible. Source
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| Scope | National |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Country | N/A |
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Recent Articles
Search ArticlesAnalysis: Why a Federal Judge Tossed the ‘Ghost Gun’ Kit Rule After SCOTUS Upheld It [Member Exclusive]
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) greenlit the “ghost gun” kit ban last year. So, why did a federal judge just strike it down? On Monday, US District Judge Reed O’Connor tossed the Biden-era Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) rule classifying unfinished frames and receivers sold alongside jigs and finishing tools the same as functioning guns. That came about 15 months after a 7-2 SCOTUS majority upheld it. And it all came in the same case.
Podcast: Murder Hits All-Time Low (Ft. AH Datalytic’s Jeff Asher) [Member Early Access]
This week, the FBI released its latest crime data report, and the news was good. Murder fell faster than at any point in history, and it hit an all-time low last year. To explain the details of what’s in the agency’s report, we have one of the most prominent crime data analysts in the country: Jeff Asher. Asher runs AH Datalytics and tracks real-time crime data. He has been predicting since last year the FBI’s numbers would come in pretty much exactly where they did.
Members’ Newsletter: How the ATF ‘Ghost Gun’ Kit Ban Went From Kosher to Over
This week, we got a ton of news related to homemade guns. The ATF’s “ghost gun” kit rule was back for another round in court. While the Supreme Court upheld it last year, a federal judge struck it down on Monday. I walk through the differences between the two decisions. Then we have exclusive reporting on a new startup that claims to have created a gun-part filter for 3D printers, as lawmakers look to mandate the tech. The founder explains in depth how the software works.
Exclusive: New Company Says It’s Developed Gun-Part Blocker for 3D Printers
American lawmakers are looking for ways to stop 3D printers from making gun parts. A new startup in India believes it has developed a solution. Earlier this year, New York passed a law ordering an investigation into the feasibility of gun-part-blocking tech, which could lead to such tech becoming mandated. Politicians in several other states are considering the same thing.
Newsletter: Have 3D-Printed-Gun Filters Arrived?
This week, we have some exclusive reporting for you. Lawmakers in some of America’s most populous states, including New York and California, are looking to ban the sale of 3D printers that aren’t equipped with gun-part-filtering tech. The biggest obstacle in that push has been the lack of such technology. But that may soon change–at least, if the head of a startup who spoke to The Reload is to be believed.
Startup Founder Describes How His Gun Filter for 3D Printers Works. Enthusiasts Explain Why It Might Not. [Member Exclusive]
A recent college graduate and Indian 3D-print-farm owner claims his new software company can block printers from processing gun files, but not everyone is convinced. Rachit Bhojani spoke exclusively with The Reload about his new startup, Sentinel, that’s likely to cast a big shadow over America’s debate on homemade firearms. He says the Sentinel software blocks gun files, even when it hasn’t encountered them before, all while leaving a light touch and a minimal false-positive rate.
DOJ Finalizes Gun-Rights Restoration Process
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has finalized a long-awaited process for offering some Americans barred from possessing firearms under federal law a pathway to own them again. On Monday, DOJ released its final rule to the public. It requires applicants to submit records, fingerprints, three character references, and other information before the DOJ can determine whether they pose a danger to others and whether restoring their firearms rights would be in the public interest.
FBI: Murder Rate Hits All-Time Low
Violent crime plunged between 2024 and 2025, with the murder rate reaching record lows. The violent crime rate dropped 9.7 percent in that time span, the largest annual drop the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has noted since it began reporting crime statistics in 1936, according to data it released on Friday. Murder and non-negligent manslaughter dropped 18.1 percent — the largest single-year decrease on record.
Analysis: A Big, Brittle Win Against the NFA [Member Exclusive]
The first lawful sale of an unregistered silencer happened this week as the result of a legal victory. Gun-rights activists across the country were excited about the win, and reasonably so, but it’s worth understanding the legal and political risks the new status quo faces. Early Thursday, plaintiffs from Silencer Shop v. ATF gathered in Texas to transfer a silencer.
Podcast: How Far Does the Injunction Against the National Firearms Act Extend? (Ft. SAF’s Kostas Moros) [Member Early Access]
This week, we’re diving back into the injunction against enforcement of wide swaths of the National Firearms Act (NFA). That’s because, in a bit of a surprise move, the Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to appeal the injunction before the stay on it expired. That led to a symbolic sale of an unregistered silencer between several of the named plaintiffs in the case early Thursday morning. But it has also created a lot of new questions about exactly who and what is covered by the injunction.